Page 6 of Dance Dirty With Me

“Yeah, they make a great couple.”

“Oh, they’re not together. Penny’s like a sister to us.”

I don’t know why that information makes a difference to me, but it does. I don’t get a chance to think why, though, as Johnny dances right up to us and looks between me and Billy.

“What’s he doing here?” His deep voice sends shivers down my spine, and all ability to sound cool in his presence deserts me as I speak.

“I carried a Party Seven.”

“What were you thinking?” I yell at Billy, trying to make myself heard over the music. “If he tells Max, we’ll all be in trouble.”

“I won’t,” the kid answers.

“He says he won’t,” Billy echoes, and I roll my eyes. Billy’s far too trusting of people; he has a lot to learn.

“One word to his girlfriend and we’ll be kicked out. You should never have let him come up here.”

The kid’s face twists into something like disgust. “She’s not my girlfriend.” He looks away. “I don’t even like girls.” The last is said quietly as he’s uttering it to himself, kind of an affirmation.

“Don’t do it again.” I shake my head at Billy and walk back to the dancers. I just have to hope he won’t squeal on us, but it’s too late now. I continue dancing with Penny for theremainder of the song, and when a new tune starts up the group holler their approval at the choice of music.

I glance over and the kid is still there, by the door. He’s wide-eyed as he watches the dancing, as if he’s never seen anything like it before. He’s pretty, very pretty, and I stare for too long as he chews his bottom lip. The action makes him look young, and I suppose he can’t be more than eighteen—too young. That doesn’t stop me walking over to him, though. His head swings round as I approach, and I beckon him towards me.

When he gets close, I step into his space and gently sway my hips. He mirrors me and I move closer, placing one hand lightly on his hip. When he doesn’t move away, I take his hand and place it on my shoulder, and we move together in time to the music, gyrating and twisting. While I dance with all the members of the dance group, usually in formation, it’s been a while since I’ve danced with another man this way... This close, this sensually. His slim body fits well against mine, which makes it easy to hold him closer than I should. As he bends backwards away from me, I catch a glimpse of the column of his creamy smooth throat and the fleeting thought of what it would be like to kiss it comes to me.

I keep who I am well hidden, because letting people know you’re bisexual doesn’t get you work. Only Penny and Billy know the truth. For everyone else, I don’t give them a reason to think anything other than what I make sure they see. Not even here in the privacy of the staff quarters do I let my guard down, despite encouraging it in the rest of the team. To be honest, it’s easy, because I haven’t seen a bloke I’ve fancied enough for a long time. The last notes of the song trail away and I release the kid, disentangling myself from his arms. I walk away. It’s too much of a risk, and not one I’m about to take now.

I’m awoken by another early morning bout of cheerfulness from the tannoy. Whatever kind of holiday they want you to have here, it doesn’t involve lie-ins.

“Max has invited me to play golf this morning,” my father announces over breakfast.

“Great, I can spend some time with Lisa and Baby.” Mum smiles at us both across the table. I try not to groan, but I don’t want to be roped into human chess or whatever it was I heard them announce as this morning’s activities.

Unfortunately, I was too slow in finding an excuse when Mum volunteered me to become a pawn in the game on the east lawn, so while she settles into a deckchair to read a magazine, I line up in front of an eccentric-looking lady playing the queen. It could be worse, I suppose. Lisa’s at a table to my left trying on wigs. I get distracted when I see it’s being run by Penny, and my thoughts turn to last night, to my glimpse of the staff behind the scenes. They seemed socarefree, and I can’t imagine what it must be like to have that much freedom. I miss my cue when I see Johnny approach Penny, and I’m shoved forward by the queen. I stand on my square but keep my eyes on them as they talk. I’m trying not to think too much about dancing with him last night. I have no idea why he did it, and I know it’s not likely to ever happen again. I’ll never be invited to the staff quarters for a start; Johnny made it perfectly clear what he thought about that. It seems I’m an expendable pawn, and in the next move I’m out, so I wander over to the table and stand behind Lisa who’s wearing a blonde wig.

“That suits you,” I say. “Very Barbara Windsor.”

“It’s Marilyn Monroe,” she shrieks at me. I know that, but her reaction was worth it. Out of the corner of my eye I see Johnny give Penny a hug and a grim smile before leaving. I walk over to Penny.

“I envy you all, the dance staff. It must be great to have that much freedom to do what you want.” I know I’m gushing but I can’t help it. Her face draws into a frown and clouds over.

“You have no idea what life’s like in the real world, do you?” It was clearly a rhetorical question, as she storms off and I’m left feeling like I’ve said something wrong.

I get shuffled from one activity to another for the rest of the day, and then reluctantly dragged to dinner when I’d rather stay in the cabin in peace and quiet. My plan to creep back there straight after dinner is quickly squashed when Nicola appears at our table as soon as we’ve finished dessert—itfeels like she might have been hovering in wait. She certainly has a vulture-like quality to her.

“Baby, I need your help,” she announces without even asking. I see the look on my family’s face and know I’m not going to get any support. I rise and catch the look on my mum’s face. It’s full of indulgence, as if we’re the cutest couple she’s ever seen. I’m not sure how I’m going to get through the next two-and-a-half weeks of this.

The “help” she wants turns out to be moving some of the scene sets and furniture behind the stage in the ballroom. I’m pretty sure she could’ve got the staff to do it for her, but her comments about how strong I am—which I’m not—and how close she keeps standing to me give me the impression she has another motive. One I’m not happy about.

“Thanks, Baby. Shall we dance now?” she asks once I’ve moved everything to her satisfaction.

This seems like my best chance to get away.

“Actually, I need some air.” Which is the truth, as lugging furniture about is hot work.

“Alright, let’s walk down to the boating lake instead.”

I stifle yet another groan but can’t see a way out of it.

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